Whether you have more time now that the kids are back in school, or you simply want to get out and explore the city during these beautiful fall weekends with the family, recreational biking has never been easier. Enhanced biking trails with easy access from various neighborhoods, better bike rental options, SDOT trail maps and the new interactive online bicycle map all add up to the start of a fun—and healthy—way to see Seattle from a whole new vantage point. Popular landmarks, Native American historic sites, beautiful gardens and parks, scenic views and wildlife, restaurants and shops – it’s all accessible by bike.

The best way to get started is to pick a trail based on location and points of interest. To that end, we’ve chosen five based on their accessibility and the unique and fun encounters they offer along the way. So, grab a bike, your helmet, some water and snacks (or make a pit stop for lunch at a nearby restaurant or cafe).

The Burke Gilman Trail

Just over 18 miles, it stretches from Golden Gardens Park in Ballard to the Sammamish River in Bothell (near Woodinville’s wineries), and winds through Fremont, the University District and Lake Forest Park—giving you multiple points of entry, and much to explore over many rides. Highlights include: The Ballard locks, the famous Fremont Troll, Gas Works Park with its kite-flying hill, The U-District’s secluded path of maples, dogwoods and firs, Matthews Beach Park, and the city of Lake Forest Park with a serpent fountain and two lakefront parks.

Alki Trail

This scenic 7.7-mile trail, part of which hugs the northern and eastern shore of West Seattle along Alki Avenue, is one of the most scenic in Seattle, with wondrous views of Puget Sound, Mount Rainier and The Olympic Mountains. It’s great for beginners too because traffic on the trail is separated for bikers and walkers. Highlights include: Alki Point Lighthouse, Luna Park (enjoy one of Luna Park Café’s famous milkshakes), and Alki Beach Park. From October-February, keep an eye out for Harbor seals, whales, sea lions, porpoises and sea otters.

Duwamish Trail

This 3-mile trail recently had a major makeover, which included an extension of asphalt for cyclists and pedestrians, pavement on previously unsurfaced areas, the clearing of overgrown vegetation, and new lighting along the trail route. Running along the Duwamish Waterway, it begins just a half mile south of the Alki Trail in West Seattle to South Park. Though it runs parallel to the road, there is some shoreline and scenic spots along the way. Highlights include: Cesar Chavez Park (check out the cool “Musical Steles” sculpture from nationally-renowned stone sculptor Jesus Bautista Moroles), Herring’s House Park (a green space with marsh and forest), and The Duwamish Tribe’s Longhouse and Cultural Center.

Chief Sealth Trail

Chief Sealth Trail was created in 2007 and built almost entirely from recycled materials, including recycled soil and crushed concrete from the Link Light Rail Project in Rainier Valley. The asphalt-paved 3.6-mile trail connects Beacon Hill to Rainier Valley via gently sloped hills and is one of only five that cross the city. Highlights include: The Thistle P-Patch Community Gardens, Newholly Public Library, and Kubota Garden (a must-see 20-acre Japanese-style garden created by master landscaper Fujitaro Kubota that incorporates native Northwest plants and features waterfalls, ponds, and bridges).

Seward Park Trail

The 2.4-mile paved bike and walking path hugs the shoreline along 300-acre Seward Park with its old growth forest that’s home to eagle’s nests, native plants and stunning views of Lake Washington. Highlights include: Seward Park Clay Studio (drop in on a class for kids and adults), a playground, an amphitheater, and sheltered picnic areas.

Pardon the cliché, but we really do think good things come in small packages. Like the community parks created thru the Pavement to Parks program for instance. Since 2015 we’ve created eleven little parks, helping bring neighbors together and provide outdoor space for people of all ages to play.

People love the heck out of our city and are moving here at the rate of 1,000 newbies a week! As Seattle grows denser, the need for vibrant public space becomes more important than ever. Pavement to Parks helps to solve that need by establishing community-driven gathering spaces from underutilized street space.

The newest park, in Little Saigon, opened in September. Designed by the community, it features images from Vietnamese folklore and provides the perfect place to enjoy lunch from one of the neighboring restaurants.

Shall we play a game? You may also recognize this one on Capitol Hill on Summit Avenue E.

Two more parks are scheduled to be added soon, in Lake City and Downtown Seattle. Use this map to see all the Pavement to Parks locations. We challenge you to visit them all!

But you may have missed one of the big commitments that we put forward: crosswalks!

Under the levy, SDOT agreed to repaint crosswalks every 4 years or sooner. To make sure we’re hitting our 4-year or better goal, you have to do a little math. Seattle has 5,357 marked crosswalks. So as long as we’re re-marking 1,340 or more crosswalks per year, we’re meeting or exceeding our goal.

It’s not always a simple math equation. Sometimes we repaint crosswalks more frequently than every four years for safety concerns or because they’re heavily used. But you can consider this another Levy to Move Seattle accomplishment signed, sealed, and delivered in 2017!

Public safety is our top priority at SDOT. So, we had to close the northbound right lane of 4th Avenue South over the Argo bridge (just north of S Dawson St to just south of Costco) for possibly up to twelve months. The bridge has some cracking and needs to be repaired. While it’s safe to travel on, we wanted to reduce the load on the outer edges of the bridge deck, which is why we needed to close that lane.

During this time, two lanes of southbound traffic are open, but large trucks will have to use the center lane when crossing the bridge. People walking and biking will still be able to use the sidewalk on the west side of the bridge.

Routine inspection of the Argo bridge found that more reinforcement is needed of the cantilevered ends of the main span piers. When it’s all fixed, the northbound curb (right) lane will be reopened but oversized trucks won’t be allowed on the bridge.

A temporary variable message sign will let northbound drivers know about the traffic change on 4th Ave S during the initial phase of the lane closure.

We know this lane closure will cause delays for regular users of this route, but this short-term inconvenience will be outweighed by the much longer-term benefit: a stable, rehabilitated bridge for all users. We want to make sure everything is safe so we can maintain mobility through the city. As always, public safety is our top priority.

Have an idea for getting more kids to walk and bike to school? Maybe it’s getting crosswalk flags, starting a student safety patrol program, pulling together a Walk to School Day event (which you now have a full year to plan 😉), painting an intersection, or organizing a walking school bus or bike train program. Whatever your idea is (well, as long as it supports our overall goal of safety education and encouragement for walking/biking to school), we can help you make it happen!

Kids getting some extra bike safety lessons, thanks to a mini grant!

We’re currently accepting applications for our Safe Routes to School Mini Grant Program, which provides grants of up to $1,000 to schools, PTAs, and community groups for education and encouragement programs for walking and biking to school. All public and private K-12 schools within the City of Seattle, PTAs, and other school-related nonprofit groups are eligible to apply. It’s a great way to support Seattle’s Vision Zero efforts to improve safety for all travelers! In 2016, we awarded 24 Mini Grants to schools and community organizations serving public and private schools throughout Seattle.

Graham Hill Elementary families got together to repaint this intersection. As you can see, it went swimmingly.

How to apply
• Head to the Safe Routes to School Mini Grant Program page, where you can download the application or apply online
• You’ll also need to include a letter of support from the school principal (mailed or emailed by the application due date)

Completed applications are due on Tuesday, October 31, 2017, by 5 PM. We’ll notify applicants of awards the first week of December 2017, and distribute funds in January 2018.

The simple answer: no. Not at all. Just like a doctor doesn’t prescribe stitches for a stomach ache, our SDOT traffic signal engineers don’t apply identical pedestrian treatments to all intersections. Seriously, all jokes aside, each intersection is unique, and therefore require different treatments depending a wide variety of factors. For example, is traffic flow heavy or light? Are the walkers mostly University students heading to classes throughout the day, or adults dashing to and from work? Even the environmental details surrounding the busiest times of day play a role in helping SDOT engineers determine the right crosswalk for any given intersection. Oh, and in case you didn’t know, there are a few different kinds of crosswalks:

All-way Walk

All Walk

Leading Pedestrian Intervals.

All Walk vs. All-Way Walk

That’s right, All Walk and All-way Walk should not be used interchangeably, because they are not one and the same.

Here’s the difference:

All Walks only service pedestrians in the typical crosswalks at the intersection. Example: Broadway E and E Denny Way near the Capitol Hill Station- straight across, no diagonal crossing here.

At more complicated intersections, longer signal cycles don’t play well with others. Shorter signal cycles are more user friendly in locations with heavy pedestrian travel and side street traffic because they offer more opportunities for people to cross. Hooray!

Pedestrians crossing at Broadway E and E Olive Way (Photo Credit: The Urbanist)

Both run a 70-second signal cycle

An All Walk at each intersection = 25 seconds of that 70 second cycle

An All-way Walk = 35 seconds of the 70 second cycle

Broadway/Olive is a complex intersection with lots of left turns and a heavy transit use on Olive

If there was an All Walk or an All-way Walk at Olive, here’s what one could expect:Scenario 1: Multiple blocks of gridlock in all directions because buses, bikes and cars would all be vying for the last 35 to 45 seconds of the signal cycle Scenario 2:Pedestrians arriving at the end of the walk cycle would wait 35 to 45 seconds until they had another turn to move in any direction

Instead, SDOT engineers decided to: Use a Leading Pedestrian Interval, which gives pedestrians a few extra seconds at the start of the walk cycle, making them more visible to turning traffic and still leaving about 65 seconds for other traffic

This prescribed crosswalk allows pedestrians who want to go caddy corner to have shorter wait times, because they can either walk north/south or east/west at almost all times of the cycle!

Broadway/Denny is much less complex since half of Denny is a One-way. Therefore an All-Walk was placed at this intersection. Design modelling showed that the extra ten seconds of an All-way Walk would cause backups at the intersection and force an undesirably long signal cycle.

Who knew that ten tiny little seconds could have such a major impact on on traffic? Well, SDOT traffic engineers knew, which just goes to show why crosswalks are not one size fits all.

We’ve been working with pedestrian advocates on a better understanding of the complexities of traffic signal timing in the city, ever since a local campaign called #GivePedsTheGreen started last spring. The campaign proposes removing pedestrian push buttons in all urban villages. Here’s why that’s not a good idea.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

We used to have a policy in which pedestrian push buttons were removed in areas with heavy pedestrian traffic – however, that contrasts with our obligation to provide effective communication to people with visual and/or hearing impairments wanting to cross the streets. Because of this obligation under the ADA, we strive to provide that communication using accessible pedestrian signals (APS). Deaf, hard of hearing, blind, and visually impaired pedestrians may rely on these buttons to move freely throughout the city. The signs that go with these signals are required to help that movement.

Right Treatment, Right Place

Our ongoing dialogue with pedestrian advocates prompted us to improve our guidance around pedestrian treatments at traffic signals. It’s not a matter of either having them or not having them. The fact is, we need these pedestrian buttons. But we can use them differently depending on the circumstances of each location.

Other Ways to Help Pedestrians

Traffic signal technology is constantly improving and that means there are many different treatments our signal engineers are looking at to help improve the pedestrian experience.

Passive pedestrian detection – we’re testing thermal imaging to detect pedestrians so that someday, maybe they won’t have to push buttons to be detected. This tech is similar to how vehicles, buses, and bikes are detected at signals. The challenge is that pedestrians are not as predictable as a vehicle, bus or bike in a travel lane.

Soundscapes is an amazing example of how new technology could help deaf, hard of hearing, blind, and visually impaired pedestrians navigate a city. We visited researchers at Microsoft who developed a pilot that uses a headset, smartphone, and outdoor beacons to immerse users in an audio-rich environment, to help people with vision loss move with more confidence and independence on city streets. This is a prototype for now.

Not all treatments are universal. We have a lot of different tools in our tool box and we look at the specifics of each intersection to determine the right tool to use.

A quote from a Soundscapes engineer hits home:

“We were born as a company of engineers building products for other engineers and geeks. That’s no longer the case. This notion of design empathy, or being able to build something for someone who is not like you — it’s much, much harder. You really need to adopt a perspective other than your own to pull it off.”

As an operational agency we have many different advocates who want us to create a safe and efficient system for vehicles, buses, bikes, pedestrians, and freight. We’re pretty sure that the majority of people can understand that. Our commitment will always be to constantly look for opportunities to improve. Our advocates are a huge piece of that commitment, helping us in the right direction.

Late 2017/early 2018 we’re making safety enhancements on 5th Ave NE between NE 115th St and NE 127th St to reduce crashes and make it easier to walk and bike in the Pinehurst neighborhood. This Vision Zero spot improvement project is part of our plan to end traffic deaths and serious injuries on city streets by 2030.

We’re also installing new flashing crosswalk lights to warn drivers when a pedestrian is crossing at NE 115th St. With the new Hazel Wolf K-8 school now in session on Pinehurst Way NE, flashing crosswalk lights can improve the visibility of students walking and biking to school across this busy street.

During this work, you can expect temporary parking restrictions and detour routes for people biking and walking. We’ll provide advanced notification to adjacent residents and businesses prior to construction starting.

If you have questions or comments about this transportation safety work, please contact Chris Svolopoulos at (206) 684-5312 or chris.svolopoulos@seattle.gov

Did you miss the 23rd Avenue Corridor Improvements Project open house last week? No worries! You can still view the open house materials and share your feedback with us through our online open house until Tuesday, October 17. Visit the site to learn more about upcoming Phase 2 construction from S Jackson Street to Rainier Avenue S, expected to begin as soon as April 2018.

We’re listening and we want to hear from you. We understand the importance of coordinating with other agencies and their projects adjacent to 23rd Avenue S and in the surrounding area. To learn more about these projects including the Sound Transit Judkins Park Station, Community House, and Vulcan explore the Coordination page of our online open house.

At the open house, we shared how we’ve incorporated community feedback into the final project design and information about priority hire. Priority hire will require the Phase 2 construction contractor to complete a percentage of project hours with apprentice and journey level workers from economically distressed zip codes. The program also includes goals for the construction contractor to employ women and people of color for a percentage of project hours.

Our goal is to enhance safety and mobility for people who walk, drive, and take transit, as well as completing important infrastructure improvements. North of S Holgate Street, 23rd Avenue S will be modified from two lanes in each direction to one wider lane in each direction, with a center turn lane. This configuration is in current use on 23rd Avenue from S Jackson Street to E Madison Street, part of Phase 1 construction.

We’ll share more specifics about the construction schedule and expected impacts in early 2018 at an open house, after a contractor has been selected. For more information or to request a project briefing, please email 23rdAveCorridor@seattle.gov or call 206-727-8857.

This month, Play Streets introduces a special expedited permitting for Halloween. Instead of the usual 30-day turnaround, permits received by October 17 will be processed in time for Halloween. So this Hallow’s Eve treat your favorite ghouls and goblins to a festive celebration with friends and neighbors. Complete your application today!

In case you are not familiar with Play Streets, it’s a permitting program that closes a neighborhood street to traffic so kids and adults can have more space for play and physical activity. Since 2013, over 350 Play Streets permits have been issued in neighborhoods across Seattle.